Taking Sides

by Ronald Harwood

TAKING SIDES takes place in the American Zone of occupied Berlin, in 1946. It is here the American portion of the De-Nazification Tribunal take over the questioning of Wilhelm Furtwängler, one of the outstanding conductors of his time. As the terrors of Nazism spread, many of Furtwängler's colleagues fled the country, but Furtwängler mysteriously chose to stay. Did he stay to do as much good as possible in the face of evil or did he stay to serve Hitler? Little is known of the motives and methods of the Tribunal, which is the focus of TAKING SIDES. What is known is that Furtwängler was humiliated and pursued.This may or may not have been justified—it all depends on the side you take.

"A brave, wise and deeply moving play delineating the confrontation between culture, and power, between art and politics, between irresponsible freedom and responsible compromise. A gripping moral challenge in a cock sure and self-seeking age." — London Sunday Times.